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After RVing to all 50 states, I set my sights on RVing the world over. First cease: renting an RV in Europe.

I had no concept which international locations even had RVs, not to mention what they referred to as RVs in numerous languages. Now I’ve RVed in seven European international locations and on 4 continents worldwide.

As we’ve deliberate these main journeys, we’ve struggled to search out a lot data on-line from different People making the trek throughout the pond and renting an RV in Europe. RVing (or caravanning or motorhoming) in Europe is simply as common as it’s within the States, if no more so.

We put collectively this temporary information with the whole lot you want to know earlier than reserving our RV rental and flying the world over.

RV Rental Firms in Europe

There are limitless choices for RV rental firms in Europe. Listed here are just a few firms to think about:

And there are peer-to-peer RV rental choices (assume Airbnb however for RVs) like:

There are undoubtedly many extra RV rental firms on the market, however these are a number of the hottest choices, listed in no specific order. I’m not affiliated with any of those rental firms and don’t make any cash for mentioning them.

Nonetheless, I do know many individuals who’ve rented campers in Europe. From their experiences and critiques, I’d by no means lease from Indie Campers, which is thought to be one in every of if not the most well-liked rental firms. I’d additionally keep away from McRent. Each of those bigger rental firms have reputations of getting horrible customer support and help. 

I’ve rented twice with Anyplace Campers and the subsequent time we hop throughout the pond, I’ll doubtless select to lease with them once more for just a few key causes. Maintain these concerns in thoughts as you select which rental firm is finest for you.

1. Rental Inclusions

We selected Anyplace Campers throughout our first journey RVing in Europe as a result of they included sheets, dishes, pillows, and many others. and lots of rental firms don’t. They even embody bikes, tenting chairs, an out of doors desk, and a grill.

I don’t like the thought of beginning my vacation with a visit to purchase a number of units of sheets and towels and pillows simply to depart them within the rental as a result of they gained’t slot in my suitcase on the way in which residence.

As you search for a rental firm, remember to see what’s included with the rig. I at all times search for:

• Bedding and pillows

• Towels

• Cleansing provides

• A “Absolutely Outfitted Kitchen” (This could embody a espresso pot, dishes and silverware, pots and pans, utensils, and many others.)

• Toolbox

We had a latch on a cupboard that saved coming free, so having a screwdriver useful is one small, surprising factor you’ll need in your rental. And, after all, ensuring a espresso pot is included is a should!

2. Mileage and Distance Limits

Some leases can have caps in your each day mileage pushed, though limitless mileage isn’t too onerous to search out.

That is one thing we prioritize when reserving any camper rental, particularly if we’re planning on taking a multi-week or multi-month journey. It’s a simple approach to keep away from the stress of monitoring each day mileage limits that some leases impose.

Throughout one earlier camper rental, we coated over 5,000 kilometers in our motorhome. That’s over 3,000 miles! In case your rental has a each day mileage restrict or a most distance you’ll be able to journey, there’ll doubtless be a charge for added kilometers pushed. I’ve seen charges as excessive as $.50 for every kilometer pushed over the restrict. Since a kilometer is a bit more than half a mile, you’ll be able to incur a hefty charge invoice in case you go over your restrict.

In the event you’re choosing a shorter rental in a small area, you’ll be able to most likely keep inside mileage limits, however in case you’re going for a cross-country European highway journey, ebook a rig with limitless mileage.

3. Car Transmission

Within the States, you’d be onerous pressed to discover a guide transmission RV. It may be troublesome to discover a guide automobile as of late!

However overseas, guide transmissions are the norm—even in RVs. In our rental expertise, we’ve had each. In Italy, Heath needed to shortly study stick shift within the Dolomite mountains…and it was irritating to say the least!

Even in case you’re used to driving a guide transmission, driving an additional giant car on tiny European roads in another country is a load of additional stress. In the event you can, I extremely advocate choosing an automated transmission motorhome in your rental to offer your self one much less factor to consider as you tour Europe.

Learn Subsequent: Full Van Tour of Anyplace Campers Campervan Rental (Video)

4. Gasoline Sort

All the RVs we’ve rented overseas have been diesel engines and diesel is simple to search out each gasoline station we’ve seen.

Diesel, nevertheless, is just not referred to as diesel relying on the language. In France, it’s referred to as gasoil or gazole. Fairly complicated when gasoline in English is a very totally different kind of duel! In France, diesel is normally famous by a yellow pump (black and orange are additionally used). Unleaded gasoline or petrol, labeled with the numbers similar to the kind of gas it’s, is usually famous with inexperienced pumps in Europe.

In the event you’re touring from the States, that is the precise reverse of the pump colours we use, the place inexperienced at all times means diesel! Don’t mistakenly replenish your diesel motorhome from a inexperienced pump. Pumps are, in my expertise, clearly labeled and you may ask an attendant for assist if wanted. 

5. Fleet Availability

Guide just a few months forward of your journey to be sure you can get the RV that most closely fits your wants. Our France journey was deliberate final minute and we took the one accessible rental left within the fleet. It labored for our household, but when we had booked sooner we might’ve gotten a barely bigger RV that might’ve match our household of 4 a little bit higher.

Remember the fact that many of the rental choices I discussed above service a superb portion of Europe. That will imply that they don’t have any RVs accessible the place you need it if you need it. It additionally means you’ll be able to generally discover good offers on “repositioning” leases, when an RV must make it from Norway to Portugal for its subsequent reserving, for instance.

Which brings me to what I contemplate crucial element for any campervan journey…

6. One-Method Leases

If I might impart one piece of recommendation to anybody who desires to lease an RV in Europe, it might be to decide on an organization that permits one-way leases!

After we RVed in New Zealand and Canada, we needed to drive all the way in which again to the start line to return the RVs and it felt like we misplaced three days of our journey simply returning to the drop-off metropolis. Theoretically, you’d take a unique route again to the drop-off metropolis than if you left it, however we’ve discovered that we at all times spend a lot time exploring and adventuring that we wait till the final second to make the return journey again and are compelled to hurry by way of it.

In the event you’re RVing overseas, likelihood is this can be a once-in-a-lifetime journey. It’s not yearly that you simply’ll get to RV throughout the UK. Reserving a one-way rental makes seeing the whole lot you need to see at your personal tempo way more possible.

In France, we booked our rental to be picked up Paris and returned in Barcelona, Spain. Since our rental was one month lengthy, we cherished the pliability this one-way rental gave us. We have been free to discover throughout France with out making a protracted return journey to the northern metropolis of Paris. Plus, this allowed us to cross over and go to a few of France’s neighboring international locations as we explored. In Italy, we booked from Venice to Rome and cherished having the ability to go to all of the cities we wished throughout the nation. 

In the event you can’t discover a one-way rental choice, I’d advocate an extended rental so you may have loads of time to tour you nation of selection and make the return journey.

Learn Subsequent: Right here’s The right way to Do a One Method RV Rental in Europe

7. Insurance coverage

The final consideration relating to renting is insurance coverage. Insurance coverage might or will not be included together with your quote for a camper rental. It virtually at all times is included with the quote or quoted individually.

For peace of thoughts whereas touring, it’s possible you’ll examine to see if any journey bank cards you carry provide extra rental insurance coverage or it’s possible you’ll be provided extra insurance coverage protection from the rental firm. This doubtless gained’t cowl in case you break something contained in the RV, just like the bathe head or a door, however it should shield you within the case of an accident.

Forms of European RVs

European RVs are considerably smaller than American RVs. Whereas the smallest RVs within the States are round 21-24 ft lengthy, the longest RVs in Europe shall be 24-26 ft lengthy.

The smaller the RV, the extra comfy you’ll be maneuvering it throughout Europe. Roads, campsites, and parking spots are smaller over there! Assist your self out by selecting a smaller RV.

European RVs can have cassette bathrooms as a substitute of a black tank and doubtless gained’t have any air-con. And so they positively gained’t have slideouts! In the event you’re used to a motorhome within the US, a motorhome or camper in Europe will really feel much more like van life.

Associated: 16 Variations between RVing Overseas versus Rving America

Prices

Renting an RV (campervan, motorhome, tenting automobile, autocaravan, insert country-specific title right here) may be costly. Common costs vary all over the place from $100-$175/night time. The season you journey in and the international locations you go to will have an effect on your value.

For a month, we paid round $4,000 USD, which breaks down to simply underneath $145/night time. This seems like so much (it is so much!) however is considerably cheaper than inns or Airbnbs, plus it permits us to interrupt away from the cities and see the countryside.

Fuel costs are sometimes larger than within the US (generally twice the value), however RVs are considerably extra fuel-efficient in Europe as a result of their dimension.

The place you camp shall be one other main value to issue into your journey, however I’ll cowl that in additional element in a minute.

One perk of RVing relating to value is that you simply typically find yourself consuming in or cooking meals within the RV. Typically that is merely since you’re in the midst of the wilderness and there may be nothing round, however normally this can be a small method to save cash. Remember the fact that European RVs gained’t have an oven or microwave, so that you’ll have the stovetop for cooking or, in case your rental presents it, a grill.

International locations The place You Can RV

The great thing about Europe is you could simply cross most borders in an RV. Your RV rental might even include the motorway permits required to drive in international locations like Switzerland, Austria, and Czech Republic.

Most European international locations are RV-friendly. You’ll find a whole record of nations around the globe the place you’ll be able to RV right here.

Finest Occasions to RV in Europe

We at all times—ALWAYS—RV overseas through the “shoulder season.” For many international locations around the globe, which means April/Might and September/October. Children are in class, the seasons are altering, and campgrounds aren’t too busy.

With most RVs in Europe not providing air-con, I like to recommend skipping a summer time rental in case you can. A motorhome in Spain in August shall be HOT. If you’re locked into summer time dates, head north, like Iceland or Norway.

One factor to bear in mind is what main points of interest you’d like to go to in your camper. Many locations might shut seasonally. Throughout our final go to to Italy, through the first half of our journey seashores have been empty and there have been solely a few eating places open commonly. By the tip of Might, the seashores have been packed daily and the whole lot (eating places, amusement parks, mini golf) was slowly opening. We didn’t really feel like we missed out on something, but it surely was a little bit logistically troublesome to determine what companies have been open for the season.

The place to Camp in Europe

Similar to within the US, there are an array of tenting choices together with your motorhome—each paid and free.

Paid Tenting

Campgrounds and RV Parks

A campeggio in Italy, a vacation park within the UK, referred to easily as “tenting” in France—these are what you may name an RV park or campground within the States.

(You may get a glimpse of Italian campeggi on this video ⬆️ )

Usually, RV parks in Europe provide smaller websites which might be normally electrical solely. There shall be a dump station and water fill station elsewhere within the park, in addition to a chemical bathroom for dumping your cassette bathroom. Your website could also be nothing greater than a stretch of pretty degree grass.

However what the websites lack, the campgrounds make up for with different facilities.

Swimming pools, sizzling tubs, on-site eating places with actual meals (no convenience-store-style pizza is served at these eating places! See the above video for what Italian campground eating places are like), markets, laundry, personal seaside entry, riverfront campsites, playgrounds, bogs for teenagers—utterly with a child bathtub and kid-sized showers, children programming…the record goes on and on. We’ve had all of those at campgrounds and so they’ve blown us away.

We’ve stayed in beachfront campgrounds and household campgrounds within the US…however they’ve at all times value upwards of $100/night time. In Europe they’re a couple of third of that value. Probably the most stunning campsite of all time in any nation we’ve ever visited must be this one in France:

Free Tenting

Europe has a fame for plentiful free tenting (additionally referred to as wild tenting) and it’s lived as much as the hype in our ebook. There are just a few choices:

Aires

Aires are motorhome stopovers meet relaxation stops meet gasoline stations. You’ll see indicators for aires about each 10 minutes on the freeway in our expertise and so they have various ranges of niceness. Some are like picnic areas within the States—a spot to park and a few tables. Others are full blown gasoline station relaxation stops that join the east and west sides of the freeway with a sky bridge, provide a number of eating places, and all of the traditional issues campers want like dump stations and showers. It’s fairly the vary.

These are typically first-come, first-served parking spots. Many aires are free, however some might require a small charge (lower than $10 and normally provided that they provide providers like electrical energy). You’ll find aires and different free tenting on the Park4Night app.

Aires usually seek advice from free campsites in France, however the time period is usually used throughout Europe. You may even see Space Sosta Campa in Italy or Space para Autocaravana in Spain.

Park4Night

That is our go-to app totally free tenting. We tried a number of apps throughout our first time RVing in Italy, however Park4Night had probably the most choices, probably the most correct listings, and was probably the most dependable.

Not a nasty view for a free campsite, eh?

Park4Night consists of extra than simply Aires and free campsites. Additionally they record campgrounds and agritourism campsites. The app is free to obtain and simple to make use of.

France Ardour

Regardless of what the title may call to mind, this isn’t a French courting app. French Ardour is the equal of Harvest Hosts—a membership program the place you’ll be able to camp totally free at farms and wineries throughout the nation.

Earlier than heading to France, we signed up for a membership on-line. Their on-line search perform is a bit clunky and onerous to make use of, however they mailed us a ebook with our membership card so we will use it to search out free locations to camp throughout the nation. France Ardour boasts over 10,000 parking spots and a membership is €30. (So not utterly free, however positively value getting for all of the free tenting choices it presents!)

Many European international locations have the equal of this, like Brit Stops for the UK.

Driving in a Overseas Nation

Earlier than RVing overseas anyplace in Europe, take a second and google “driving suggestions in _________”.

Signage and highway legal guidelines will fluctuate by nation, so it’s finest to take suggestions particularly for the nation the place you propose to RV. For instance, Italy has ZTLs. Zona traffico limitato means motorhomes can’t drive in that space. It is a time period and signal you’ll solely see in Italy and one thing we wouldn’t have recognized if we hadn’t learn a free e-book we discovered on-line sharing driving suggestions.

That’s additionally a great way to study if the nation you’re visiting (or international locations) require any car permits. Switzerland, for instance, requires a driving allow on all autos. Throughout our final journey to Italy, we really thought of crossing the border into Switzerland for a fast journey. However we couldn’t determine tips on how to get the driving allow we wanted! (Anyplace Campers offers one, in order that was one much less factor for us to consider once we cross over the French Alps into Switzerland throughout this journey!)

What you save in not needing to buy a driving allow, you’ll shortly spend on tolls. Toll roads aren’t too frequent within the US (principally within the cities or within the northeast), however many highways in Europe are toll roads. Most of those toll roads will settle for bank cards and have a British flag icon you’ll be able to push in order that the display prompts are in English. So whereas the tolls sound like they add a little bit additional driving hassle, they’re straightforward to navigate.

One ultimate factor to notice as you might even see it on rental agreements: You most likely don’t want a world driver’s license. It is determined by what international locations you go to, however most international locations don’t require one.

I Love RVing in Europe—Can I keep endlessly?

Nope.

You may take pleasure in RVing within the Schengen (record of Schengen international locations right here) for 90 days inside a 180-day interval earlier than you want to:

A) Get a vacationer visa, or

B) Strategically depart for a non-Schengen nation just like the UK or Eire

FAQs About Renting an RV in Europe

Can I lease an RV in Europe?

Sure, RV leases can be found in most European international locations with exceptions within the anticipated locations (like Ukraine and Russia).

What’s the largest motorhome rental firm in Europe?

McRent is taken into account the largest. However is greater at all times higher? I feel not.

What are RVs referred to as in Europe?

Campers, motorhomes, caravans (the equal of trailers), motorized caravans, autocaravan, tenting automobile—there are many names! Camper is the most effective catch-all time period.

Do you want a particular license to drive an RV in Europe?

Examine together with your rental firm, however most international locations don’t require any particular license. You could want a world driver’s allow, which you will get out of your native AAA for about $20.

Ultimate Ideas

To any and each beginner to RV life that I discuss to, I give the identical recommendation:

Journey slowly.

When you hit the highway, you will have an itinerary, however you can find so many gems off the overwhelmed path if you give your self the time to correctly discover. (We’ve discovered the best choice is giving ourselves at the very least a month in every nation if we will!)

Journey slowly and benefit from the journey!

Questions on RVing in Europe? Drop them within the feedback!